Engine starter



R CHILTON ENGINE STARTER A ril 26, 1932.

Filed Nov. 22, 1 927 M Wm H T N p A A W 5 W L in m\ W Patented Apr. 26,1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLAND CHILTON, OF KEYPORT, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T

ECLIPSE MACHINE NEW YORK COMPANY, OF ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ACORPORATION 01 ENGINE (STARTER Application filed November 22, 1927.Serial No. 235,101.

This invention relates to engine starters of the class wherein anlnertia member is accelerated to high speed; the energy thus acisafforded.

c umulated then being applied at a relatively high rate to the engine tobe started. In

such starters, the flywheel may be brought upto speed by either manualcranking or by an electric motor, and provision is often made for eitheror both means of energizing, on the same machine. The present inventionconstitutes an improvement over the disclosure of Patent No. 1,561,506.

Due to the extremely high flywheel speeds desired, very high hand-crankgear ratios are necessary, while small high speed electric motors mayoperate at flywheel speed. Such motors, however, in the prior art, havebeen provided with an automatic coupling which is out of engagement,except when the motor is driving; this being done on account of therelatively high brush friction in conventional motors, which offersexcessive resistance to hand cranking.

Objects of this invention, are to save weight and bulk, and to eliminatethe necessity for disengaging couplings. Accordingly, the necessarylaminations and conductors of the motor armature are here disposed atthe appropriate radius to afford also the required mass moment ofinertia for the flywheel rim, the stationary field members beingpreferably disposed within this rim. Assuming that the weights requiredfor armature iron and copper, and for the flywheel rim. are the same; itwill be seen that a weight reduction of one-half is made by combiningthese functions in a unitary structure. It will also be seen, that bydisposing the fields within the necessarily large rim, a very shortstructure,

A further object of the invention is to provide a starter mechanismhaving an armature which may be energized either electrically, ormanually, or simultaneously by both means as desired.-

The highest practicable speeds are desired in the inertia means in thesestarters, in order to store the entire starting energy within a smallmass; but the difiiculty of restraining the conductors againstcentrifugal displacement from outwardly opening slots, limits thepracticable speed with conventional armatures. A further object ofthis'invention, accordingly, is to provide a structure which willcombine the functions of flywheel and armature, and will avoid theforegoing speed limitation.

To eliminate brush friction when hand cranking is to be used, the brushsprings here are loaded by a solenoid, which operates the startingswitch, the connections being such that the brushes are applied beforethe switch closes, while the switch is opened before the brush springtension is relaxed.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and a carefulconsideration of the following particular description and claimsembodying my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking inthe direction indicated by the arrow.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, l designates the starter housing securedto the engine casing 2 as by bolts 3. The starter jaw 4 is drivablysecured to the main gear 5 and is slidable into engagement with theengine jaw 6 by a Suitable control means not shown. The main gear 5engages the pinion 7 driven by the first reduction gear 8 from theflywheel or armature pinion 9. The main gear 5 is also provided with abevel pinion 1O engaged with the hand cranking bevel gear 11 which maybe operated manually by the crank 12.

ertia to store kinetically, when rotated to high speed, sufficientenergy to effect a starting of the engine even though the electrical ormanual energy by which such speed has been produced be discontinued.

Secured to the starter casing 1 is the motor casing 20 which includesthe end wall 21to which the fixed field poles 22 are secured as byscrews 23. Extending from the wall 21 is a cylindrical part 25surrounding the commutator and carrying the outboard bearing 26. Thisextension is provided with openings 27 through which the brushes 28extend from their supporting rigging 29 which is accessibly placedexteriorly of the cylindrical extension 25.

The brush holders are adapted to oscillate on the support pins 24 andare connected for simultaneous movement throughthe rod 30 and the brushsprings 31. A retraction spring 32 normally keeps the brushes out ofcontact with the commutator until current is applied, as from a battery33 connected to the motor through contact bars 34 and 35 of the solenoidswitch 36, the coil of the solenoid being connected by the leads 37, and38 and a switch 39 to the battery. The solenoid plunger 40 is providedwith a contact head 41 for establishing a connection across the contactbars 34, 35 and this plunger has an extension 42 cooperating with alever 43 to load the brush springs 31 just before such contact isestablished; the spring 44 normally keeping the contact head 41 in itsofi position whilst the brushes are lifted from the commutator. Thebrush gear and solenoid are preferably covered by a quickly detachablelight cover 45.

The operation of the device is as fol- 'lows For manual operation, theswitch 39 is left open and the hand-crank 12 operated to graduallyaccelerate the armature-flywheel 15 to high speed through the bevelgears 10 and 11 and the high ratio gear train 5, 7, 8 and 9. All theenergy developed by the operator is thus stored in the armature 15,which during manual cranking constitutes merely a flywheel having noelectric function, the brushes being in their raised position,open-circuiting the machine and removing frictional and dynamo-electricresistance to the acceleration of the flywheel.

The usual jaw control, not shown, then is manipulated and the engineengaged according to the well-known practice with inertia type startersas disclosed, for example,

in my Patent No. 1,561,506.

For electrical operation, the switch 39 is closed, energizing thesolenoid 36 and drawing up its plunger 40 which, through the extensionrod 42 and lever 43 first applies the brushes through the springs 31 andthen holds the contact head 41 in electrical connection acrossthe switchbars 34 and 35 esfields and brushes and the source of current. Thisaccelerates the armaturefiywheel and, when suflicient speed has beenattained, the switch 39 may be opened and the engine jaw engaged in theusual way the starting energy being supplied by the momentum of thecombined flywheel-armature 15.

When the engine starts it overruns the jaws 4 which automaticallydisengages and when the switch 39 is released the parts return to theposition shown in Figure 2 with the brushes retracted from thecommutator and, therefore, adapted for manual cranking withoutfrictional resistance.

If it is desired to supplement this momentum energy by the torque fromthe motor, switch 39 may be left closed when the jaws are engaged, butin general the added torque would be slight since it is a characteristicof, this type of starter that the electrical torque required is lessthan the inertia torque developed in the ratio of the energizing time totheactual starting time; which ratio may be of the order of 30: 1.

It will be seen that, by the special disposition of armature whereby themasses necessary for the electrical parts such as the laminations andconductors are disposed at a suflicient radius to afford also thenecessary flywheel effect, considerable saving in bulk and weight isachieved as compared to the structures of the prior art wherein anarmature of conventional proportions is connected to a separate flywheelthrough an automatic coupling, which last two elements are eliminated inthe structure of this invention. It will also be seen that since suchcouplings disconnect tlie'armature when the flywheel has been energizedsuch kinetic energy as has been impressed in the armature A is wasted,Whereas, in this invention all the energy nnpressed 1n moving parts iseffectlvely utilized to start the engine.

It will further be seen that by conforming the armature t0 the diameternecessarily occupied by the flywheel means, a considerable saving inlength is effected, while by disposing the conductors within the annularlaminations, disruption due to the great centrifugal force generated bythe high speed neccssary in these machines is avoided.

By the structure disclosed the brushes are applied for electricalcranking before the starting current circuit is completed but they areraised after this circuit is-opened whereby sparking at the brushes atsuch times is avoided.

It will be seen that the combination of an external rotor of an electricmotor in the apparatus described is of the essence of this invention.For convenience of description the external rotor has been illustratedas comprising the armature, the fields forming the stator. It should beunderstood, however, that this arrangement may be reversed, disposingthefields to form the external rotor and adapting the armature to 358,873filed April 26, 1929.

Having thus described 'my invention, I claim: o H

' 1. In a flywheel type starter, aninertia member comprising a motorarmature, a

commutator for said armature, brushes for the commutator, and means forapplying the brushes before the motor .circuit is completedand forretracting the brushes after said circuit has been broken.

2.In an inertia type starter, a member adapted to be moved intoengagement with and to crank a member of the engine to be started, aninertia member comprising a motor armature mounted coaxially with and ini driving relation with said driving member,

a commutator for said armature, brushes for the commutator, means forautomatlcally ap -'plying the brushes to the commutator as an incidenttothe closure of the motor circuit, and means for automatically retractingsaid brushes as an incident to opening the motor circuit to relieve theinertia member of the brush load.

3. In a self-contained inertia starter for internal combustion engines,a driving member adapted to engage andcrank a member of the engine to bestarted, an inertia mem ber mounted coaxially with said driving memberand comprising the armature of an electric'motor, means for drivablyconnecting said inertia member and said driving mem ber, means includingsaid last named means for actuating said inertia member by'hand, meansfor actuating said inertia member electrically including a commutatorfor said armature and brushes for the commutator, and means for normallyretaining said brushes out (if contact with said commutator, except whenthe inertia member is actuated electrically.

. 4. In a self-contained engine starter of the type having a flywheelwhich also constitutes the armature of an electric motor, means formanually actuating said flywheel, additional means for electricallyactuating said flywheel wholly disposed within its periphery, said meansincluding a commutator and brushes, and means for applying andretracting said brushes to and from said commutator upon .said motor soas closing and opening the electrical circuit to to relieve the flywheelof brush friction during hand actuation and during the crankingoperation, said means including a solenoid adapted to apply the brushesupon energization, and spring means for retracting said brushes upondeenergization, of said solenoid.

5. In aself-contained engine starter of the inertia type, a drivingmember adapted to engage and crank a member of the engme to be started,"a gear train including a slow speed gear drivably connected to saiddriving member and a high speed pinion coaxial therewith, a motorarmature-flywheel having a shaft, said shaft being integral with saidhigh speed pinion and being rotatably journaled at one end within saidlow speed gear, and means including said gear and pinion for actuatingsaid armature-flywheel by hand.

6. In a self-contained starter for internal combustion engines, thecombination of a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member ofthe engine to be started, a motor mounted coaxially with said drivingmember, said motor including an annular rotor constituting a flywheeland a stator mounted within said rotor, means for operatively connecting said rotor to said driving member, and means including said lastnamed means for actuating said rotor as a flywheel by hand.

7 In an inertia type engine starter, a flywheel coaxial with butnormally disconnected from the engine member to be rotated, saidflywheel'also constituting the rotor of a motor, a stator housed withinthe periphery of said flywheel, a driving member adapted to be movedinto engagement with and to crank a member of the engine, to be started,means including a gear train for drivably connecting said flywheel tosaid driving member, and means including said gear train for rotatingsaid flywheel solely by hand, or for augmenting its rotation whenused'as a mo tor rotor.

8. Aself-contained inertia type starter for internal combustion enginescomprising a driving member adapted to be moved into engagement with andto crank a member of the engine to be started, a flywheel mountedcoaxially with said driving member, a train of gears adapted to connectsaid flywheel to said driving member, means including said gear trainfor actuating said flywheel by hand, and means for electricallyactuating said flywheel, said last named means being contained withinthe periphery of said flywheel.

9. In an engine starter, a rotatable member adapted to be moved intoengagement with and to crank a member of the engine to be started andtoremain out of said engagement during operation of the engine under itsown power, actuating means comprising ainotor and a circuitthereto,'said ing mounted coaxially of the axis of rotation motor. be-,

of said rotatable member and in driving relation therewith, a commutatorfor said'motor, brushes for said commutator, means for electricallyapplying the brushes to the commutator as an incident to closure of thecircuit to the motor, and means for automatically retracting saidbrushes from the commutator to relieve the armature of the brush load,said retracting means being operable incidentally to the opening of saidmotor circuit.

10. In an inertia type starter, a member adapted to be moved intoengagement with and to crank a member of the engine to be started, aninertia member comprising the rotor of an electric motor mountedcoaxially of and in driving relation with said driving member, acommutator for said motor, brushes for the commutator, means forautomatically applying the brushes to the commutator, as an incident tothe closure of the motor circuit, and means for automatically retractingsaid brushes as an incident to opening the motor circuit to relieve theinertia member of the brush load, said brush apply- Y ing meanscomprising an electromagnetic device operatively connected to saidbrushes, and also to said motor circuit. I

11. In an inertia type starter, a member adapted to be m :dintoengagement with and to crank a member of the engine to be started, andfurther adapted to remain out of said engagement during operation of theengine under its own power, an inertia memher comprising the rotor of anelectric motor mounted in coaxial driving relation to said drivingmember, a commutator for said motor, brushes for said commutator,electrically actuated means for applying the brushes to said commutatoras an incident to energization of said motor, and means forautomatically retracting said brushes as an incident to de-energizationof said motor, to relieve the inertia member of the brush load.

Signed at Keyport, in the county of Monmouth, and State of New Jerseythis 21st day of November, 1927.

ROLAND CHILTON.

